Single Subject Research Applications In Educational And Clinical Settings, 2nd Edition By Richards – Test Bank

Chapter 11: Overview of Changing Criterion Designs

1) What is a disadvantage of a changing criterion design?
A. The possibility of multiple treatment interference when the treatments interact
B. It is not the best to use with behaviors that change slowly
C. It can sometimes be difficult to implement (e.g., counterbalancing the treatments)
D. Target behavior must be able to change in a gradual, stepwise fashion
ANS: D

2) What is the basic goal of a changing criterion design?
A. Demonstration of a functional relationship between the target behavior and intervention by replicating the intervention effects with two or more behaviors, in two or more settings, or with two or more individuals
B. Comparison of the effects of two or more treatments on the same behavior
C. Evaluate the effects of a treatment on the gradual increase or decrease of a single target behavior
D. None of the above
ANS: C

3) How long should each phase be in a changing criterion design?
A. Phases should be long enough to allow stable responding
B. The length of the phase should be varied if possible
C. Phases should be brief enough to see a positive response
D. Both A and B
ANS: D

4) Which of the following is NOT an advantage of the changing criterion design?
A. Withdrawal of treatment is not necessary
B. Generalization of behavior change is monitored within the design
C. It is a good design to evaluate contingency programs to increase/decrease behavior
D. Gradual change in target behavior results in poor outcomes for maintenance
ANS: C

5) A changing criterion design would be appropriate to use in the following instances EXCEPT:
A. When the target behavior can change gradually in a step-wise fashion
B. When the behavior is already in the subject’s repertoire and needs to be increased or decreased
C. When the treatments are sufficiently different from each other
D. When the effects of contingent reinforcement or punishment procedures need to be evaluated
ANS: C

6) If the required change is too large, what is a possible problem that can occur?
A. There might not be enough phases to demonstrate experimental control in the study
B. It might be difficult to determine if the change was due to other factors
C. Requiring drastic changes might contradict good instructional practices
D. Both A and C
ANS: D

7) What does the number of criterion changes refer to?
A. The number of phases (subphases) that should be included in the study
B. The number of changes that were made to the target behavior
C. The number of times the intervention was withdrawn
D. The number of phases that did not impact the behavior
ANS: A

8) What provides additional evidence of the functional relationship between the treatment and the target behavior?
A. Reinstate baseline conditions
B. Reversal to a previous criterion level
C. The lack of change in the target behavior to a previous criterion level
D. The number of the criterion changes within the baseline phase
ANS: B

9) What is the term used to describe a more radical reversal of conditions than just returning to a previous criterion level?
A. Reinstate baseline conditions
B. Reversal to a previous criterion level
C. Magnitude of the criterion changes
D. Interval baseline changes
ANS: A

10) _______________ occurs when stable responding within each phase predicts the behavioral levels of subsequent phases.
A. Replication
B. Verification
C. Prediction
D. Reversal
ANS: C